Packing machines



Dec. 10, 1963 R. w. HARRIS ETAL PACKING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 28. 1961 Figi.

Dec 10 1963 R.w.HARR1s ETAI. 3,113,903

PACKING MACHINES Filed Aug. 28. 1961. 4 sheets-sheet 2 Dec. 10, 1963 R. w. HARRIS ETAL 3,113,903

PACKING MACHINES Filed Aug. 28, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Dec. 10, 1963 R. w. HARRI ETAL PACKING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Aug. 28, 1961 United States Patent O 3,113,903 PACKING MACHINES Richard William Harris and Derek Henry Yonngman, both of London, England, assignors to Molins Machine Company Limited, London, England, a British company Filed Aug. 28, 1961, Ser. No. 134,374 Claims priority, application Great Britain Sept. 7, 1960 Claims. (Cl. 156-484) This invention concerns improvements in or relating to packing machines and refers more particularly to the delivery end, where the iinal closure takes place, of machines for packing cigarettes.

Among the types of packets used to contain cigarettes is the so-called American pack. In this type of packing the cigarettes are contained in an inner wrapping, usually of aluminium foil but also of any other suitable material, which surrounds them on all six of the faces formed by the bundle of cigarettes. The bundle, wrapped irl aluminum foil or other suitable material, is then enclosure in an openended cup made of paper or of any other suitable package material. As the outer wrapper or cup is open-ended, means must be supplied to prevent the inner bundle from falling out of the cup. This is commonly done by aflixing a stamp across the open face, the stamp being fixed by ahesive to the top of the inner wrapped bundle and to two sides of the paper cup. The stamp can either be a closing stamp, i.e. a piece of rectangular paper, used for this purpose alone, or may be an excise stamp as is required in countries where payment of excise duty must be proved by the exhibition on the package of an excise or revenue stamp.

In machines for the production of American type packs the stamp is usually applied by what is in effect a separate machine joined on to the packing machine itself. This arrangement of linking together two machines suffers from the disadvantage of being wasteful of floor space. This invention provides for apparatus for aixing stamps, which apparatus is an integral part of the packing machine itself and may be part of the machine disclosed in copendiug U.S. patent application Serial No. 37,412, now Patent No. 3,057,126. It may also be used for a'ixing revenue stamps to any type of packing, e.g. to a box, shell and slide packet or to a soft packing known as a Latin pack, in which there is no outer Wrapping, or to any other known packing.

The stamp can be aixed in any of a number of different ways. It can, for instance, be placed across the shorter or the longer side of the open face of the packet. It can be placed across the centre of the face or to one side of the centre. It must, however, be placed across either the shorter or longer sides of the open face and the ends must be tucked down and be afxed to two faces adjoining the open face. In referring to the movement of a packet, the word sideways will be used to describe all movement in directions parallel with those sides of the open face of the packet across which the stamp is not placed, while the word endwise will be used to describe movement in a direction at right angles to the open face of the packet.

According to the present invention there is provided apparatus for aifxing an adhesive-coated stamp to a packet, comprising means for applying the adhesivecoated stamp on to one face of the packet so that it adheres thereto, means for moving the packet sideways into a retaining member which is so arranged that the stamp adhering to the said face of the packet does not come into contact with the said retaining member, means for moving the said packet endwise within the said retaining member so as to cause the two ends of the stamp to be folded over and to adhere to the sides of the packet and "lee `member after the packet has been moved endwise within it so that the stamped packet can be ejected into any desired position.

The stamp may be applied to the packet while the packet is moving sideways into the said retaining member.

Apparatus in accordance with the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of apparatus for xing a stamp to a packet containing cigarettes,

FIGURE 2 is a front elevation of FIGURE 1.

FIGURES 3 to 6 show diagrammatically successive stages in the fixing of a stamp to a packet.

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of a retaining pocket.

Before the apparatus shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 is described in detail the sequence of operations on a packet will be briefly described with reference to FIGURES 3 to 6, in order to clarify the subsequent description.

In FIGURE 3 a packet P is at rest on a table 1 and is further located by a plunger 2 against which one face of the packet P abuts. As soon as the plunger 2 starts to move in the direction of the arrow, the packet P is moved sideways with it in the same direction, i.e. as seen in FIG- URE 3 from left to right. Above the packet P and to the right of it is a stamp applying roller 3 rotatable on a shaft 4 in the direction shown by the arrow. The stamp applying roller 3 has a portion 5 of its circumference of greater radius than the roller itself. This portion 5 is of approximately the same size as a stamp S which is held to the portion S of the circumference by means of suction operative through port 6.

In FIGURE 4 the plunger 2 and the stamp roller 3 have moved into conjunction and since the radius of the raised portion 5 of the roller is slightly greater than the distance from the top of the packet to the centre of the shaft 4, the underside of the stamp S, which has been previously covered with an adhesive as will be described later, is firmly pressed onto the top face of the packet. At the same time suction is cut olf from the ports 6 so that the stamp is transferred from the roller 3 to the top face of the packet.

FIGURE 5 shows the plunger 2 at the end of its stroke and about to start its return journey. Accordingly the packet P is at the end of its travel under the control of the plunger 2 having been plunged by plunger 2y into pocket 8 and has been transferred from the table 1 onto a second plunger 7 which is at the same level as the table and is arranged for upward and downward movement. The pocket 8 is shown in section in FIGURES 3 to 6 and is open at the back so that the packet P can be inserted and is closed in the front and on the two sides. In the front of the pocket (see also FIGURE 7) there is a wide slot 9 through which one end of the stamp S can project. At the back of the pocket a boss 10 projects from the upper part of the pocket, the bottom portion of the boss 10 being at a slightly higher level than the stamp.

In FIGURE 6 the plunger 7 is shown yat the end of its upward stroke having plunged the packet P upwards into the top of the pocket 8. As the packet starts to move upwards, inner edge 11 of the boss 10 and top inner edge 12 of the pocket 8 come into contact with the projecting ends of the stamp S. The upward movement of the packet and the two edges 11 and 12, which act as folders, cause the two ends of the stamp to be folded down whilst inner surfaces 13 and 14 exert suicient pressure on the ends of the stamp to cause them to adhere to the faces of the packet which is thereby sealed.

V18. By suitable movement of the other ends of the arms 16 and 17, which movement is to be described later, the pocket 8 containing a packet P can be swung downwardly into a position shown in FIGURE 3. A third plunger 19 attached to a bracket 2t) operates to eject the packet P from the pocket 8 and onto a conveyor 21 by whichY the stamped packets are removed to any desired position. As soon as the packet is ejected the pocket S returns to its upright position, its movement being in the direction shown by the arrow in FIGURE 4. Referring to FIGURE 1, 22 is an intermittently rotatable drum (shown broken away) being part of a packing machine similar to that disclosed in co-pending US. patent application Ser. No. 37,412, now Patent No. 3,05 7,- 126. Attached to the drum 22 are a series of pockets 23 of which one can be seen in FIGURE l. During the rotation of the drum 22 there are as many pauses in one complete revolution as there are pockets 23 so thatV each pocket in turn pauses in the position shown where a plunger 24 ejects each packet to the position shown as occupied by a packet P. The plunger 24 is shown in full line at the end of its stroke whereas the position in which the plunger is shown in chain line is at the beginning of its stroke with a packet occupying a position in the lower half of the pocket 23. The plunger 24 is attached to a bracket 25 which in its turn is fixed to a block 26 which is free to travel along two guide rods 27 and 2S, Attached to the block 26 by a pin 29 is a link arm 34) pivoted at 31Vto a cam lever 32. Fixed to the'lever 32 is a roller 33 operated by a follower cam 34. As the cam lever 32 is pivoted at 35 the block 26 travels along its guide rods 27 and 28 Vaccording to the position of the rollerr33 in the cam 34, thus operating the plunger 24. The packet P is directed into its position by two guide rails 36 and 37.

Referring now also to FIGURE 2 o nce the packet P has come to rest against a stop 3S it comes within the influence of the plunger 2 which is attached to a block 138 by means of a bracket 39. The block 138 isfree to move horizontally on two guide rods 4t) and 41 (see FIGURE l) whilst the bottom of the block is pinned to one end of a short link arm 42, the other end of which is pinned to a bell-,crank lever 43. The bell-crank lever 43 is held by means of a spring 44 so that a roller 45 at one end of the lever'is kept in contact with the face of a cam 46 keyed to a driven shaft 47. The plunger 2 as previously explained transfers the packet P into the pocket 8 which is then in its position shown in chain lines in FIGURE 2.

At the same time the packet moves from the table 1 tov the upper surface of the plunger 7. Also keyed to the shaft 47 is a cam 48 (shown in dotted line in FIGURE 2). A roller 49 at the end of one arm of a bell-crank lever 50,which is pivoted at 51, is retained against the face of the cam 48 by a spring which is not shown. A link arm 52 is pinned at its lower end to the other arm of the bell-crank lever 50 and at its upper end both to a further lever 53 which is pivoted at 54 and also t0 aV bracket 55 to which is fixed the plunger 7. Thus rotation of the shaft 47 causes the plunger 7 to rise and fall.

The packet P is plunged into thetop of the pocket 8 when the latter is in the position shown in FIGURE 2 by chain lines. Keyed to a shaft 56, to which is attached the follower cam 34 already described, is a further cam bracket 63 so that as the roller S8 in following the profile of the cam 5'/ pulls the arm 59 downwardly the pocket 8 rotates clockwise (as viewed in FIGURE 2) through an angle of approximately 90. This rotation through approximately 90 swings the pocket 8 down into the position where it is shown in full line in FIGURE 2.

The plunger 19 is attached to the bracket 29 which in its turn is xed to a block 64 which is free to move in a horizontal plane on two guide rods 65 and 66. Pinned to the block 64 is one end of a link arm 67, the other end of which is xed to one armtof a bell-crank lever 68 at 69. On the other arm of the bell-crank lever 69 is xed a cam roller 70 which is held by a spring (not shown in FIGURE 2) against the face of a cam 71 keyed to the shaft 47. Thus on each rotation of the shaft 47 the plunger 19 moves to the right (as viewed in FIGURE 2) and thus plunges the stamped packet on to the table 21.

The stamp S is held on to the stamp applying roller 3 Vby means of suction as already explained and is peeled 3 at the moment when the roller starts to peel the bottom stamp from the stack. The underside of each stamp has adhesive applied to it by contact with a gum wheel '74 rotating in the direction shown by the arrow within a gum bath 174. t

Referring to FIGURE 7, the pocket 8 canbe seen to consist of threeV parts, the main body of the pocket 3 and two plates and 76, Vthe three parts being joined by` screws. The plates 75 and 75 are so shaped as lto leave the slot 9 through which one end of the stamp extends and a further slot77 to allow the passage of the plunger 19 when the stamped packet is being ejected from the pocket. t

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: l Y Y l. Apparatus for aixing an adhesivecoated stamp to a'packet, comprising means to apply an adhesive-coated stamp across an end face of a packet so that the stamp adheres thereto with the end portions of the stamp projecting beyond opposite edges of the said face, a retaining member comprising parts shaped to permit sideways entry of a packet having a stamp so attached into the retaining member so that the end portions of the stamp can continue to project from the packet during such sideways entry, and adapted to engage the end portions of the stamp and fold them about the said edges of the packet on endwise movement of the packet within the retaining member, means to move the packet sideways into the retaining member, means to move the packet endwise with the said end face leading within the retaining member so as to cause the end portions of the stamp to be folded about the said edges and to adhere to the side faces of the packet adjacent the said edges, means to move the retaining member so as to move the packet retained 57 against the face of which a roller 58 is held by a retaining spring which is not shown. The roller S3 is fixed to an arm-'59 which is split for part of itslength so that it can slide along a block 60 attached to the shaft 56.

vThe other end of the arm 59 is pinned to one arm 61 of a bell-crank lever,fthe other arm of which is the arm 16 attached to the boss 10 of the pocket 8. The other arm 17 attached to the pocket 8 is pivoted at 62 to a fixed therein into a desired position, and lmeans, to eject the stamped packet endwise from the retaining member.

2.,Apparatus as claimed in claim l, wherein the first said means is adapted to apply a stamp to the said face of the packet whilst the latter is Vmoving sideways towards the retaining member.

3. Apparatus for axing an adhesive-coated stamp to a packet, comprising means to apply an adhesive-coated stamp across a face of a packet so that the stamp adheres thereto with the end portions of the stamp projecting beyond opposite edges of the said face, a retaining member, and means to move the packet, in a direction `substantially parallel to the plane of and substantially perpendicular to an edge of the saidface, into the retaining member, the latter comprising a pair of opposed walls positioned so that the packet can enter and be retained in the retaining member between and with the opposed faces adjacent the said opposite edges substantially parallel to the said Walls, the latter being adapted t0 permit the end portions of the stamp to project past the walls during entry of the packet into the retaining member, means to move the packet within the retaining member with the rst said face leading between the said walls, thereby causing the projecting end portions of the stamp to become folded about the said opposite edges by engagement with the said walls, and to adhere to the said opposed faces of the packet, means to move the retaining member so as to rotate the packet retained therein about an axis substantially parallel to an edge of the iirst said face, and means to eject the packet from the retaining member in a direction substantially perpendicular to the rst said face.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the said means -to move the packet into the retaining member is adapted to move the packet in a direction substantially perpendicular to the said opposed faces of Ithe packet, and wherein the retaining member comprises a back wall, which the leading face of the packet so moved abuts, and which is provided with an opening through which the leading end portion of the stamp can project, and a front wall positioned so that the packet can pass thereby into the retaining member, and behind which the trailing end portion of the stamp can project, the said front and back walls constituting the said opposed walls, and wherein the said means to move the retaining member is adapted to move the latter so as to rotate the packet contained therein approximately 90 about an axis substantially parallel lto the said opposite edges, whereby the packet can be ejected from the retaining member in the same general direction of movement as that in which the packet is moved into the retaining member.

5. Apparatus for atiixing an adhesive-coated stamp to a packet, comprising means to move an upright packet sideways, means to apply an adhesive-coated stamp across the top face of the sideways moving packet so that the stamp adheres thereto with the end portions of the stamp projecting forwardly and rearwardly, as considered in the direction of movement of the packet, from the side edges of the said face, a retaining member to receive the sideways moving packet, the said retaining member having a back wall against which the leading side face of the packet abuts, and which is provided with an opening Ithrough which the leading end portion of the stamp can project, and a front wall beneath which the packet passes into the retaining member, and behind which. the trailing end portion of the stamp can project, means to move the packet upwardly within the retaining member so as to cause the end portions of the stamp to become folded about the said edges of the said face by engagement with the said walls, and to adhere to the side faces 0f the packet adjacent the said edges, means to move the retaining member so as `to swing the packet retained therein to a position at which the plane of the said. top face is substantially vertical, and means to eject the packet, with the said top face leading, from the retaining member.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNlTED STATES PATENTS 1,869,374 Iahne a Aug. 2, 1932 FOREIGN PATENTS 321,437 Great Britain Nov. 1l, 1929 

1. APPARATUS FOR AFFIXING AN ADHESIVE-COATED STAMP TO A PACKET, COMPRISING MEANS TO APPLY AN ADHESIVE-COATED STAMP ACROSS AN END FACE OF A PACKET SO THAT THE STAMP ADHERES THERETO WITH THE END PORTIONS OF THE STAMP PROJECTING BEYOND OPPOSITE EDGES OF THE SAID FACES, A RETAINING MEMBER COMPRISING PARTS SHAPED TO PERMIT SIDEWAYS ENTRY OF A PACKET HAVING A STAMP SO ATTACHED INTO THE RETAINING MEMBER SO THAT THE END PORTIONS OF THE STAMP CAN CONTINUE TO PROJECT FROM THE PACKET DURING SUCH SIDEWAYS ENTRY, AND ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE END PORTIONS OF THE STAMP AND FOLD THEM ABOUT THE SAID EDGES OF THE PACKET ON ENDWISE MOVEMENT OF THE PACKET WITHIN THE RETAINING MEMBER, MEANS TO MOVE THE PACKET SIDEWAYS INTO THE RETAINING MEMBER, MEANS TO MOVE THE PACKET ENDWISE WITH THE SAID END FACE LEADING WITHIN THE RETAINING MEMBER SO AS TO CAUSE THE END PORTIONS OF THE STAMP TO BE FOLDED ABOUT THE SAID EDGES AND TO ADHERE TO THE SIDE FACES OF THE PACKET ADJACENT THE SAID EDGES, MEANS TO MOVE THE RETAINING MEMBER SO AS TO MOVE THE PACKET RETAINED THEREIN INTO A DESIRED POSITION, AND MEANS TO EJECT THE STAMPED PACKET ENDWISE FROM THE RETAINING MEMBER. 